The Penn's Grove record., 1887-11-12

over the lives OF the strong Sell-sum.
cient among men, q power as inexplic-
able as it is unconscious 10 themselves.
She lifted her head from the bed and
met his eyes. Something In them un.
sealed her lips,
81 loved you" she said. 81 will
confess 1t now in the awful presence of
death. and let God be nay judge. /
was an unloved wife. / learned to
love the air you breathed. You seemed
high and grand and passlonless, ] was
safe. . l worshippad you. . . {.
Oh, God, that 1 should have been the
cause Of your ruInI"
"Yes," he said, with q strong effort
to be calm. 81 knew you were mine.
l knew that every pulse and Hber was
under my control. I knew that by the
laws Of our being you belonged to me.
and that had 1 asked you to nee with
me to the uttermOst isles of the sea
you would have consented, without
counting the cost. You thought l was
grand and passionless, that as Gods
high priest I was beyond temptation.
You never knew what 1t, at least, cost
me to meet you and give you counsel,
nor how the sensual and earthly fought
for supremacy over the spiritual In my
soul. But 1 wrestled and prayed, and
the strength came to put passion un-
der my feet. l conquered. A Hight
from the face Of the infinite shone upon
me. I moved in calm, clear air.
stood before my people and looked into
their u%pturned faces with q new sympa-
thy for their weaknesses.
81 looked upon your face and thanked
God that you were safe from me, that
| had not transgressed against you nor
the man who was once my friend. In
the midst of the calm the conspiracy
against me was revealed suddenly. l
found myself the victim of a network
of circumstances, my fair fame dishon-
ored, myself dragged into the publicity
Of a court of law and made the subject
Of rude jokes and insulting ~caricature;
and the testimony of the woman whose
honor l had guarded as with my life
was the central link in the chain OF
damaging evidence against me-"
She knelt there listening, with that
terrible despair upon her face. "You
you will live," she said broKenly. 81
will go to a lawyer. l will make a
sworn statement. Your name shall yet
be cleared"
SIT is too late. u he said. at would
not undo the wrong. / must have
needed the discipline; l shall soon know
why it was permitted
A reaction was coming. She gave
him q d-aught from a goblet on the
table and his eyes closed YEARLY His
lips moved. She bent. her head to listen
to the words he uttered.
Goods furnace dame around me qulverss
His breath upon the fire doth blow"
He was repeating with slow deep
emphasis on the words. Then he slept.
She sat and watched him. His mind
seemed to wander back to the days
when he was-tha ldel ~ his saaorsi~
Fragments of hyEf..
prophecies came to his Aps. Again lie
was the minister of God, standing at
the altar, distributing the mystical
emblems of Christ's death. Again his
hands were lifted in benediction and
his lips moved In the words: "May the
peace Of God, which passeth under
standing, keep you.''
Then a change came. He was living
over the dark hours OF his agony. The
veins stood out upon his forehead. His
head moved from side to side in mortal
anguish. His mighty frame shook IN
the inner tempest. Again he was
writhing under the blow dealt him b.,
the man whom he had once trusted. but
who had been Dominated uJ .s4o aenon
of Jealous hatred, who had sworn to
overthrow his powerful rival. Again
he stood In the pitiless MONDAY light
of a court of law, with the whole world
as spectators. Again he knelt under
the stars and cried, "My Godi why
hast thou forsaken mep"
But his face did not mirror q more
terrible agony than did that OF the
woman who bent over him, and with
trembling hand wiped the drops from
his forehead. He awoke and looked
up into her face.
"You suffer with me- y he said, gent.
ly. 81 may come to you and help you
to be strong after l am free. Are
they not all m~inistering spiritsY'"
His utterance seemed less clear. IL
l have had my last hour of earthly ago
n.y." he said.
And now a strange awe crept over
the woman as she sat and watched the
noble face, for by the mystical changes
that overshadowed it she knew that a
Presence had entered the room to claim
his own-had entered, not az the King
of T%errors, but as an all-powerful de-
liverer, bringing to this long-trled spirit
the crown Of immortality. His lace
shone with the reflection OF the coming
dawn, his ears caught new, faint har-
monies, he turned his eyes upon Emily
with a last sweet smile, and without
one struggle his soul was free.
The news OF the death Of the great
preacher, whose sun had set in eclipse,
had scarcely flashed over the wires be-
fore another strange piece Of intelli-
gence followed.
Sydney Fowler, who a month ago
had commenced a l~ecturing tour
through the provinces, had been found
in his room at a popular hotel with a
pistol shot through his head. On the
table were a number of closely written
pages of confession. He had plotted
the downfall Of Gregory Bancroft be-
cause he was jealous of his successes
and honors, because he had outstripped
him in SIC race which they had begun
together.
The news of his death had over
whelmed HIM with remorse. He now
confessed the whole fendish plot, the
confession of love he had forced from
his wife and her signature to the state
ment he had written, while he knew
and believed in the unspotted integrity
of Gregory Bancroft. Emily was fore
stalled. No need now Of her confess
sion, which at best would have only IN
settled, not convinced the world.
Did the grand, sorely-tried soul not
know, did he not hear from the morn
ing land of spirits the overwhelming
voice of sympathy and sorrow and m
dignation that thrilled and throbbed
around the worldp Did he not rejoice
that his name was to be accounted
blameless Of the sin laid to his charge,
that history would record him a mar
tyr, that offerings of flowers, lavish and
costly, were heaped upon his resting
place IN the city OF the dead, daily re-
newed. daily Watered with tears from